This is the second (and final) post for the Kwando Safaris sightings for July. Usually, I like to get these in consecutive posts, but the August Newsletter publishing threw me a bit off schedule. Anyway, for the second Kwando Safaris feature, we have the following Camps: Tau Pan Camp, Kwando Lagoon Camp, and Kwando Kwara Camp.

Tau Pan Camp

The Tau Pan pride consisting of six lions (two young males and four females) have been spotted regularly in the vicinity of the camp, while three cheetah (two females and cub) have been seen once again on Tau Pan. The trackers reported them as having been away for some weeks and had seen them in the Passarge valley, about 50 kms to the north-west. A cheetah was seen near the Tau Pan airstrip killing a steenbok and afer some time was eventually chased of the kill by a persistent jackal. Wild dog were also seen back on the pan after having been absent for some weeks, this time a pack of one male and three females. The resident female leopard is also spotted regularly and is now very relaxed.

With the conditions in the Kalahari now extremely dry, the waterhole is becoming increasingly busy and large numbers of gemsbok and giraffe are common drinking in front of the camp.

Elsewhere on day trips and walks guest also saw honey badgers, jackals, springbok, eland, red hartebeest, wildebeest and ostrich plus a multitude of birds including bustards, korhaans, kestrels and goshawks.

Kwando Lagoon Camp

The entire area surrounding Kwando Lagoon Camp is inundated with buffalo, from large herds of over a 1000 animals to much smaller groups of older bulls. The vicinity of easily accessible water at the river and adjacent grazing makes this area a busy one for buffalo. The lion populations in this area are not as concentrated it seems as in neighbouring Lebala, though several individuals have been seen, including three females hunting giraffe. One of the advantages to this relatively lower concentration is that the populations of wild dogs and cheetah are higher and less mobile. The wild dog den site at Lagoon, is now home to seven new pups, joining the existing 15 adults, and have provided some fascinating viewing of such endangered animals.

The well known ‘three boys’’ have also been seen regularly hunting along the floodplains and were at one point seen by guests hunting and killing a young warthog. Leopard also benefit from a lack of presence of an apex predator such as lion and a very relaxed leopards have been seen drinking very close to the camp.

General game has included sightings of eland, kudu, zebra, giraffe, tsessebe, steenbok, serval, honey badger and African wild cat.

Kwando Kwara Concession

In contrast to the Kwando region, the Okavango water levels remain high and will likely do so for some years to come. The vast amount of water that continues to flow into the Okavango is a revitalising boost to a system which had become progressively drier over the last 20 years, and will ensure that the biodiversity of the Okavango system is maintained. The floods have seemingly not dampened the activity of the wildlife. While the dominant coalition of 7 male lions appears to be spread far and wide maintaining their large territory, individuals are often seen moving through the area. Various males and females accompanied by young cubs have been seen on kills as varied as giraffe, warthog, kudu, tsessebe and zebra. Several leopard, all extremely relaxed, have been spotted throughout the concession, while three male cheetah have also been seen regularly including while hunting and successfully killing a tsessebe.

As always the general game in the Okavango is excellent including kudu, impala, hyena, zebra, reedbuck, warthog, wild cat, serval, aardvark and porcupine.